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Kern’s father saved by his belt

Kern Spencer’s father, Daniel Spencer, is alive today because of his belt buckle. The senior Spencer, 70, was entering his home at Russell Heights in Balaclava, St Elizabeth, when he was attacked by masked men on Wednesday night.

The men opened fire at Spencer, one of which hit his belt buckle and ricocheted into his abdomen.

“It is just a miracle and the hand of God that daddy is alive today. The shot that the gunman fired hit his belt buckle,” Spencer said.

According to Spencer, his injured father, who is a licenced firearm holder, repelled the gunmen by firing shots at them. All this time his 14-year-old brother was taking cover under his father’s vehicle.

He said medical experts have said that had the ricocheted bullet landed within an inch of the spot where it made his mark, his father would have suffered major injuries. Spencer was released from hospital yesterday.

Meanwhile, Kern Spencer, who is the former member of parliament for St Elizabeth North Eastern, said something in his gut told him something bad was going to happen on Wednesday.

“I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen and I was just feeling like that all day. I was saying all day, that when the phone rang, I just had a feeling something was going to happen and that is what happened,” he told THE WEEKEND STAR.

The former minister of state said the incident highlights the need for the Government to double its efforts to take illegal guns off the streets.

“This whole situation of crime needs to be tackled and I hear all sorts of plans being put in place and suggestions, but I haven’t heard of them zeroing on the gun situation because that is where the problem is. You don’t hear people being murdered by the knife or a broken bottle, or anything like that. You hear about people being shot and killed,” he said.

“We have to come up with a systematic and strategic plan of action to plug the flow of guns that is coming in even as we try to get the guns that are coming here.”